Family Business
by Nighteyes27
Summary: The *real* story of the breakup of Kitty and Peter circa UXM #185....


Title: Family Business  
  
Summary: The *real* story behind the breakup of Kitty and Piotr circa X-Men 185.  
  
Disclaimer: No character in this belongs to me: they're all Marvel's. I'm making no $$ off this, no copyright infringement intended, etc. However, plot and dialogue are mine.  
  
Rating: R for implied f/f relationship and a teensy bad word.  
  
Author's Notes: I've read a lot of fics that suggest that Kitty and Illyana were lovers. Heck, I've written fics where it out and out states they were. My question is, where does that leave Piotr? I mean, Kitty was supposedly carrying on a relationship with him around the same time. Though I don't have the issues, much of what I've read says that Piotr dumped Kitty for really no good reason. Here's what I think could be a good reason (Note: I am in no way a Colossus fan-I never really liked the character in the first place, but I am a great fan of both Shadowcat and Magik). Please forgive any continuity errors, and I know that it would violate continuity after it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
"Nyet!" he exclaims in disbelief. "This cannot be happening."  
*Damn, damn, damn!* I think sharply. *This wasn't supposed to happen....*  
Turning, he fires off a series of rapid words in Russian to my roommate, bed-partner and lo-and something more.  
Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputina is stunned and hurt. And I caused it. *Ororo will be furious!* I thought, suddenly panicked. *How will this affect our working relationship with the X-Men! What will they think, and-*  
"Piotr, wait!" Illyana Nikolaevna Rasputina shouted. Tuning back into the room, I grimaced. Piotr, in shock and hurt, had, whether consciously or unconsciously, triggered his change to Colossus. So there he stood, gleaming bands of metal, thinking his steel exterior could hide the hurt.  
Obviously, sharp words had been exchanged while I had blanked out. I saw Illyana's face twist and Piotr's jaw clench. I saw remorse on her face, and through our soul-bond, felt pain but also relief. I suspected I knew why, as well.  
*For them to be such...antagonists must hurt her, but they truth needed to come out. And I...I...oh my God, will they make me choose?*  
And then I stagger, groping for the bed. That thought is too much-it hurts too much for me to bear, I love them so dearly (*But dearly in the same way? You know Piotr feels more like a big brother to you, whatever he feels for you....*).  
I stagger again. Things are looking gray and black. Illyana rushes to catch me and support me, and hold up the two sheets that barely hold our modesty in check. From the corner of my eye, I see Piotr start to catch me, then stop himself and stand by dispassionately. I wished he would power down, then at least show *some* emotion!  
We hadn't planned on it happening this way. The X-Men had taken the New Mutants out for a day in the town. Lockheed was staying with Stevie Hunter for the weekend, I don't know why, she wanted to have him around and he didn't object, so I gave my permission. I had pleaded to stay-I was still officially on parole after the Professor had given me permission to rejoin the X-Men from the New Mutants (or X-Babies as I was fond of calling them), and wanted to spend as little time with them as possible, in case the Professor had a sudden switch of heart. Illyana was...not exactly popular with her teammates at that point, and had elected to stay here with me.  
We hadn't exactly planned on sleeping with each other...but by that point I think we were so tired of denying our barely hidden attraction that we subconsciously decided to cut loose.  
It wasn't just attraction though. We trusted each other, lo-cared about each other...it wasn't just sex. I think we both knew that "just sex" would've destroyed our closeness and trust. But I think we both knew things would change after that-I think we wanted things to change.  
I never dreamed Piotr would come home early to surprise us. I never dreamed he'd walk in jovially, to find us huddled together under the blankets, my head pillowed on her shoulder, limbs hopelessly twisted, blond and brown hair merging to make a dirty blond, my lips attached to her throat, her hands wandering beneath the blanket.  
I'd never dreamed of the way the color would drain from his face. The way I would bolt up from bed, Illyana slower, twisting sinuously behind me, both of us grabbing a sheet to attempt to cover our body, arousal clearly evident.  
He turned on his heel, every muscle in his body tensed, furious, ready to stalk out. Somehow, I knew I had to prevent that from happening.  
I knew I had to *try* and make amends. "Piotr...." I started, grabbing his shoulder.  
Then I saw many lights. Then everything went black.  
*~*~*~*~*~  
"What the *hell* was that for?!" Illyana demanded of Piotr. Furious, she summoned her SoulSword and put its point under Piotr's chin.  
"Will you strike the final blow, Snowflake?" he demanded bitterly.  
That rocked Illyana back on her heels. *Damn, 'Yana, you should have had more self-control! You know your brother is head over heels for her! And if S'ym gets to her, somehow tracking my SoulSword, knowing what she means to you....* A bolt of fear shot through her. *That doesn't bear thinking about!* Cursing to herself in Russian, she glared at him for starting that line of thought.  
Punching Kitty was definitely one of the worst moves in his life. Kitty should have been able to phase through it, but she didn't. *Maybe she considers it penance? If she doesn't love me, if she still loves him despite the way he's treated her....*  
A moan from Kitty drew both of their attentions. Piotr, in shock, powered down and went as white as Ororo's hair. "Nyet...did I...I...?"  
He desperately reached out, only to have Kitty, still unconscious, recoil from him, curling into a fetal position and whimpering. *Oh God....* Illyana thought.  
Illyana gently approached Kitty, and smoothed the unconscious girl's hair away from her face, gently pressing a kiss to her forehead. Kitty uncurled a little, tension slowly ebbing from her muscles, as she relaxed in Illyana's arms.  
Illyana glared at Piotr. Standing up with Kitty curled in her arms, she felt she could cheerfully throw him to her demons at that moment.  
A stepping disk appeared, and Kitty and Illyana disappeared into it, leaving Piotr standing there, helpless, blood he couldn't see still on his half-cocked right fist.  
*~*~*~*~*~  
"'Yana...." Kitty Pryde drawled as she swam up from the sea of blackness that engulfed her. Sitting up, she took in the Victorian era-esque bedroom.  
"Shhh, Kitty," Illyana said, appearing from a door, worry in her eyes. "We're in Limbo. Are you all right?"  
"No," Kitty shut her eyes. Illyana sat on the edge of the bed, and kissed Kitty gently on the lips, the kiss growing more intense as Kitty opened her mouth.  
"Kitty?" Illyana growled as she pulled away. "Are you up to this?"  
Kitty's answer was to pull her down to the bed, where the both of them didn't think for a very long time. It was just skin on skin and ecstasy and love and care and concern and a tangle of limbs.  
Afterward, sprawled out, Illyana whispered, "Kitty? Are you all right?"  
Kitty started to cry. "No, 'Yana, I'm not."  
Illyana held Kitty close, comforting the other girl in the only way she knew how as the X-Man curled up in her arms for comfort.  
Even as she did so, however, Illyana had to wonder how Kitty would weather the storm  
But for a moment, cradled safe in Illyana's arms, Kitty found peace, and found that she didn't have to face the world alone.  
*~*~*~*~*~  
Cold air ruffled three sets of hair. One long brown, one shoulder-length blond, one short black. A pair of tortured brown eyes faced two sets of blue; the baby blues both with shields up.  
The hill was snowy and cold; all three were bundled up.  
"I called you here today," Kitty began, "to talk about what happened."  
"What event what that be, Katya?" Piotr asked angrily. "Seducing my sister or-"  
"Stop. Right. There." Illyana was angrier than she had ever been with him. "She didn't seduce me. It wasn't a *seduction*. And *I* wasn't the one to hit her into next Tuesday!"  
Kitty watched, a silent, hurting observer as the two quarreled over her.  
Oh, it was an ego boost, no doubt. But it also hurt, seeing the two of the people she loved most in the world fighting.  
"And then you disappeared into Limbo for several hours!" Piotr shot back. "And I cannot help but wonder, dear sister, what *happened* in those intervening hours."  
"Our lives are none of your concern, *brother dear*, you-"  
"Stop it, you two!" Kitty snapped, stepping between them, anguish in her voice. "This is why...I can't do this. I can't be with either of you now. I care for you two both so much, it kills me to see you at odds."  
"Words cannot change what happened, Kitty," Piotr said quietly. "And I...I do not know if I can forget this...or forgive," he added, significantly looking at Illyana. "Good-bye, Kitty, Illyana." He headed back down the hill.  
He had no way of knowing this would be the biggest mistake of his life.  
"Kitty...." Illyana began.  
"What, you gonna leave me too, 'Yana?" Kitty asked bitterly.  
"No...I just wanted to say...I'm sorry for screwing up your life."  
"Don't be!" Kitty's vehemence startled the Russian girl. Kitty captured the other girl's hands with her own. "No matter what happens, 'Yana, I...this wasn't a mistake. At least, it wasn't for me."  
"It wasn't for me either," Illyana responded softly. "Do we have a chance, together? And I *do* realize the timing of this query is *awful*."  
Kitty laughed weakly. "I know. And...I don't know, 'Yana. I-I *think* I want a relationship with you, but I don't want it to turn into a rebound relationship. I...care about you too much to just use you like that. Please, give me space?"  
Illyana nodded wearily, understanding. Nothing would be the same after this-but could she really go back to the way things were, after what had happened? No, she didn't think so. And the scary part was, even after Illyana had spent a lifetime training herself to keep her distance from people...she felt she really didn't want to go back to the way things were. But she couldn't help thinking, in the abused, used and tortured part of her mind that was still a nine-year-old in Limbo, if this was Kitty's way of giving her the brush off.  
*Yeah, right,* Illyana thought uneasily. But she couldn't help the idea taking root.  
Kitty felt Illyana start to slip away, slowly but surely. She had no way of knowing that this thought echoed Illyana's hurt thought, *So, this is the way it's gonna be? She's gonna push me away when things start to get tough?*  
Acting on pure instinct, Kitty grabbed Illyana, and passionately crushed the other girl's mouth to hers. Disoriented, Illyana blinked and then reciprocated. They both withdrew after running out of breath, gently touching foreheads.  
"Just give me time...." Kitty trailed off as she caressed Illyana's face, turned on her heel and walked down the hill.  
Magik stood on top of the hill, alone, still tasting her best friend on her lips.  
"Take as much time as you need, Kit. I'll wait for you. For you...take as much time as you need, lover. I'll wait."  
  
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